INVESTED IN THE ENVIRONMENT, EVERY DAY

As the largest water service provider in the state, New Jersey American Water provides clean, safe, reliable water and wastewater services for approximately 2.8 million people in 190 communities in 18 counties. We continue to supply water that meets or surpasses all state and federal water quality standards, with our more than 840 highly-skilled professionals ready to serve customers.

New Jersey American Water’s commitment to the environment extends the quality of our water into the heart of who we are – your local water company.

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In alignment with our parent company American Water, New Jersey American Water continues to invest in industry-leading research and development.

The innovative technologies we develop help us to enhance our services, continue to meet or surpass state and federal standards and shape a more sustainable future for both our company and customers.

Integrating new technology also helps us generate operational and capital efficiencies, improve customer satisfaction and, most importantly, build trust between our employees and the New Jersey customers we serve.

Sustainability Goals

New Jersey American Water works to help meet the following key sustainability goals established by American Water:

  • Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2035 from a 2020 baseline. Achieve net zero absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050. 
  • By 2035, meet customer needs while saving 15% in water delivered per customer compared to a 2015 baseline.   
  • By 2030, increase water system resiliency to respond to more extreme events by increasing Utility Resilience Index (URI) weighted average by 10% from 2020 baseline . 

Learn more about American Water’s commitment to sustainability here.

Renewable Energy

With solar installations at four of our surface water treatment facilities and two of our groundwater treatment facilities, we produce more than 21.7 million kWh of solar energy annually, reducing our CO2 emissions by more than 9,400 metric tons annually. The solar portfolio includes two Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with New Jersey Resources Clean Energy Ventures. The PPA agreements include the countries largest floating solar installation (8.9MW) at our Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant.

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Reducing Water Loss

Using innovative technologies, New Jersey American Water can detect and fix leaks before they become large breaks, saving water and money, as well as reducing disruption of service to customers. Based on five years of data, we estimate that the leak detection technology we’ve deployed has allowed us to prevent approximately 6.4 billion gallons of water from being treated, pumped and then leaked out into the environment each day. This also saved 11.8 million kwh of energy and reduces our carbon footprint by 3.8 thousand tons of CO2 emissions (equivalent of taking 760 gas powered cars off the road for a year). Learn more about the Water Loss Management Program.

Meeting and Surpassing Regulatory Standards

partnership-resize207x207We take great pride in what we do and are dedicated to delivering high quality, safe, reliable water service to our customers. Our team consists of the industry’s leading researchers, scientists, water quality specialists and plant operators, all committed to delivering high-quality water service to your tap. Click here to learn more about our commitment to water quality.

Five out of our seven water treatment plants have received the Directors Awards from the U.S. EPA’s Partnership for Safe Drinking Water program for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards.

Combating Emerging Compounds

New Jersey American Water has implemented the use of award-winning technology at various treatment locations throughout the state to combat emerging compounds including Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). New Jersey American Water has significant expertise in treating and removing PFAS from source water and all New Jersey American Water systems have been compliant with the recently established MCLs for these compounds ahead of the implementation dates, either by providing treatment or removing sources from service. Learn more about what New Jersey American Water is doing to combat emerging compounds here.

See How We’re Doing in Your Community

Every year, New Jersey American Water produces a Water Quality Report to notify customers on how our water quality stacks up against established federal and state drinking water standards. The report provides detailed information about the source and quality of the water delivered to the communities we serve using data from water quality testing conducted for each community’s water system. To see your report, visit our Water Quality Reports page.

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Employee wearing a vest photo Water weighs about eight pounds per gallon so pumping water from source to treatment facilities and through the distribution system to people’s homes requires significant amounts of energy. By upgrading our pipes, pumps and plants, New Jersey American Water gains efficiency and further reduces our carbon footprint.

In fact, every year, New Jersey American Water spends approximately $350 million annually on water and wastewater system improvements at its treatment facilities and in its distribution systems. These projects help to improve water quality, service reliability and fire protection for the communities we serve. Learn more about our investment programs here.

Learn more about New Jersey American Water’s 2020 investments here

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Source Water Protection Program

Our top priority at New Jersey American Water is to provide high quality, reliable water service for our customers. Collaborative efforts to protect sources of water used as drinking water supplies are an important part of maintaining high quality water, and we are working to further these efforts in the communities we serve. Read more about our source water protection planning, monitoring, and community outreach here

Environmental Grant Program
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Our commitment to protecting the environment runs deep and we’re proud to support the efforts of local organizations that share our vision. Established in 2008, our annual Environmental Grant Program offers funding for innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect the watersheds, surface water and groundwater supplies in our local communities. To date, we have donated more than $350,000 to fund more than 40 projects to protect and improve the environment across the State.

 

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Partnerships & Community Involvement

Our community involvement draws on the unique talents of our employees as well as the resources of our business. Through community giving, in-kind donations, partnerships and volunteering, we demonstrate our commitment to programs that help protect our environment.

In addition, we have created an extensive library of online environmental educational resources for all ages.

Learn more about these programs here. We are proud members and supporters of many environmental organizations in the state including (but not limited to):